Barrel-crane.



No. 687,458. Patented Nov. 26, |90I. A. W. HUGH.

BARREL CRANE. (Application Bled Dec. 15, 1900.)

(N0 Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

ARTHUR W. HOUGH, OF PERRY, MICHIGAN.

BARREL-CRAN E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 687,458, dated November 26, 1901. Application filed December 15, 190. Serial No. 40,014. (No model.)

T0 cir/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. HoUGH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Perry, in the county of Shiawassee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Barrel- Crane, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for mounting a barrel beneath a counter so that it may be swung'outwardly for convenient access to the contents thereof, and has forits object to provide certain improvements in such means, whereby the barrel is iirmly supported and prevented from sagging and dragging upon the floor, thereby facilitating the inward and outward swinging of the barrel.

With this and other objects in View the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shownin the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being undei-stood that changes in the form,proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a barrel mounted beneath a counter by means of the present invention. Fig.2 is a central longitudinal sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the improved barrel-crane.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings. Y

To fully illustrate the application and operation of the present invention,I have shown in the drawings a counter having the usual front 1 and the top 2, beneath which is mounted the barrel 3. It will be understood that theseparts are common and have nothing to do with my barrel-crane beyond the fact that the latter is mounted beneath the counter for the support of a barrel.

In carrying ont the invention I employ an upright rotatable standard 4, which has its opposite ends journaled to the floor and the under side of the top of the counter adjacent to the outer edge of the top by means of the opposite bearing plates or brackets 5 and 6, respectively, which are Xedly held in place by means of suitable fastenings 7. Each bracket or plate is provided with a central perforation 8 for the loose reception of the respective ends of the standard, whereby the latter is designed to turn within the brackets, and the latter are slidable longitudinally upon the standard in order that they may be applied to the standard before the latter is placed beneath the counter, after which the brackets may be slid upon the standard until they rest against the door and the top of the counter, respectively, when they may be fixedly secured in place, thereby facilitating the mounting of the standard. It will be observed that the greater part of the intermediate portion of the standard is bowed; but the opposite terminal spindle portions thereof are straight in order that they may turn freely in the openings in the attaching plates or brackets. Moreover, the top spindle portion is longer than the bottom spindle portion for a purpose as will be hereinafter explained.-

For the support of the barrel upon the standard there is provided a bottom supportingbracket 9, having the divergent or forked arms or members 10, as best indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the outer terminals of the arms being provided with the upstanding spurs or teeth l1 to bite into the bottom of a barrel. This bracket is preferably fixed against rotation upon the standard and rests upon an upstanding flange or collar 12 upon the bottom attaching bracket or plate 5, While its arms project at the concave side of the standard.

Upon the upper straight spindle portion ofl the standard there is slidably mounted a rotatable barrel-clamp 18, from which extend the forked or divergent Varms 14, `which have the outer terminal pendent fingers 15, that are much longer than the spurs of the bracket 9.

In applying a barrel to the crane thelatter is turned so as to bring the bottom barrelsupporting bracket out from beneath the counter, after which the barrel is placed upon said bracket, and then the top clamp 13 is slid downwardly until its fingers project into the interior ofthe barrel through the open top thereof. It will be understood that the arms of the bracket and the detachable clamp are spread at such an angle as to locate the spurs 11 against the inner side of the chime of the IOO barrel, while the pendent fingers rest snugly against the inner side of the upper edge of the barrel, thereby holding the latter rmly to the standard. The intermediate portion of the latter is bowed according to the longitudinal bilge of the barrel, in order that the latter may lie in contact with the standard, to which it is held by the opposite barrelclamps.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the barrel and the standard turn together upon the pivotal axis of the standard and the barrel is firmly and snugly held against the bowed portion of the standard, whereby it is impossible for the barrel to sag and drag upon the floor. It will now be apparent that the upper straight spindle portion of the standard islonger than the opposite spindle portion, in order that the upper clamp may be adjustably slid upwardly to release the top of the barrel and to facilitate the mounting of the latter upon the crane. Moreover, the bottom clamp is fixed to the standard and located at the concave side thereof, whereby the clamp is always in its proper position, While the top clamp is adjustable to facilitate the application and removal of a barrel.

As best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the under side of the top barrelelamp and the upper side of the bottom clamp are free froml projections, and thereby unobstructed adjacent to the standard, whereby the barrel may lie in direct contact with the bowed portion of the standard to give rigidity to the barrel.

What is claimed is- A barrel-crane comprising upper and lower attaching brackets, having corresponding bearing-sockets, a rotatable standard, having an intermediate bowed portion corresponding to the longitudinal bilge of a barrel, and opposite straight spindleterminals which are journaled in the bearing-sockets of the respective brackets, the upper spindle portion being the longer,a lower barrel-supporting bracket fixed against rotation upon the lower straight portion of the standard and adjacent to the bowed portion thereof, and having substantially horizontal divergent arms projected at the concave side of the standard,aud provided with outer terminal upstanding claws, and an upper barrel supporting bracket, which is slidably and rotatably mounted upon the upper spindle portion of the standard, and has outwardly-divergent substantially horizontal arms normally projected at the concave side of the standard, and provided with outer terminal pendent claws, the barrel-supporting brackets being normally located adjacent to the opposite terminals of the bowed portion of the standard, and the respective inner sides of the brackets and their arms being free from obstructions between the claws and the standard, whereby a barrel is held for its entire length againstvthe bowed portion of the standard.

In testimony that I`clai1n the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' ARTHUR W. HOUGH.

Witnesses:

N ORA B. WATKINs, H. W. WALLACE. 

